


baby, it's cold outside

by officiallylexie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-20 10:56:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/886442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/officiallylexie/pseuds/officiallylexie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His pale pink lips are slightly parted and there are soft snores leaving them and it makes Zayn smile. Maybe he's a bit of a sap, but he would really like to wake up to this every morning. He wants to wake up in Niall's arms with a Christmas tree lit up in the corner and he wants to make coffee for the both of them, the way Niall likes it and not even feel slightly embarrassed that he knows the way Niall likes his coffee(sweet, with a bit of cinnamon).</p><p>or the one where ziall spend christmas together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	baby, it's cold outside

The Christmas tree in the corner of the room is throwing spots of coloured lights onto the walls and part of Niall's body that Zayn doesn't have his own curled into. The fire in in the fireplace is slowly dying down now that most of the wood is gone and there's only the quiet hum and crackle from it every so often, mixing prettily with the sound of Niall's heartbeat against Zayn's ear. 

They're curled up on the couch, cosy and content. Zayn's in an oversized sweatshirt, his hair's messed up and he's got his head on Niall's chest, cuddling in close because it's cold. It's winter and there's pretty, white snowflakes falling from the sky outside, clinging to the windows and leaving behind water where they've melted.

Zayn thinks he could melt like that too; he's warm enough, tucked up against Niall with a certain peace and serenity in the air that clouds around him and makes his whole body relax and fall pliant. 

It's night time. He can't see the moon through the snow dancing around out there to an unknown song. He stops looking after a while and instead, grabs Niall's hand, slots their fingers together like the teeth of a zipper and holds on tight.

He closes his eyes and he's getting a little sleepy, too relaxed and at pea-

"I wish I was a snowflake," he hears Niall whisper, voice laced with child-like wonder, energy and Zayn idly wonders how he isn't tired yet. Tired of the the dancing flames making odd-shaped shadows on the cream-coloured walls, tired of the noise of the outside world that never stops ringing in Zayn's ears like it's etched onto his eardrums for the rest of eternity. But he doesn't ask.

"They have a pretty short lifespan," is all he says in response and his eyelids flutter open, blinking at the window as if he's expecting anything to have changed since he closed his eyes. Nothing has, it's just the same trail of melted snow on a dusty window.

"Yeah, but they have it pretty great, don't they?" Niall murmurs and Zayn feels him shrug a little, causing his head to bounce with it as if they're physically connected. "I mean, they see the world from way up there, and they're free, you know? They're free falling and they make people happy."

Zayn hums a little piece of Free Falling by Tom Petty, thinks about singing it out-loud just because Niall made him think of it, but instead he says, "well, you make me happy. You're kind of like a snowflake."

\-----

Zayn wakes up to the sun shining in through the windows and seeping through the heavy covers that he's got thrown over him, warming him up in the otherwise cold room. It's stopped snowing outside and the fire from last night is completely done for. There's only the gray ash at the bottom of the fireplace, no flame dancing around and no quiet hum. 

Niall is still asleep, he notices, and he looks peaceful. The dim sunlight in shining down on his pale, pale skin, lighting him up enough that Zayn wonders if maybe Niall is the sun himself. 

His pale pink lips are slightly parted and there are soft snores leaving them and it makes Zayn smile. Maybe he's a bit of a sap, but he would really like to wake up to this every morning. He wants to wake up in Niall's arms with a Christmas tree lit up in the corner and he wants to make coffee for the both of them, the way Niall likes it and not even feel slightly embarrassed that he knows the way Niall likes his coffee(sweet, with a bit of cinnamon). 

But he can't do much while Niall is still asleep. So he carefully untangles himself from the warm body next to him and sits up, feeling slightly colder now that he doesn't have the hot press of Niall right beside him. 

He swings his legs over the side of the slightly worn out couch that he's always hated(it was a gift from Liam when Zayn bought the place and Zayn didn't have the heart to tell him that he didn't like it), and lets his bare feet hit the wooden floors.

It's cold, sends shivers up Zayn's spine, little waves of electricity that settle all over his body and create chill-bumps that aren't visible through the thick sweatshirt he's got on, but he feels them, feels the hairs on his arms and neck stand up. 

When he gets to his feet, he stumbles a little and has to catch himself before he falls right back on top on the couch and wakes up sleeping beauty. 

He pads to the kitchen, the wooden floors creaking and groaning under his heavy weight. He's a little sleep-slow and feels light-weighted almost, but he manages to start up the coffee machine and get out two mugs, a snowman one that Niall claims is the best, and Zayn's favourite, a black mug with comic book onomatopoeia.

The kitchen is a little brighter than the living room. It's got more windows for the sun to seep its nosy rays through. The room is a little out-dated, really. It's not very modern; it's got brown, wooden cabinets and a gas stove, but Zayn likes it. It's homy, unlike the hotels they are constantly in and out of. Or maybe it feels more homy now that he's sharing it with Niall. He doesn't really know, but he figures it's both. 

It's quiet in the room, safe for the growling and groaning of the coffee machine and the quiet hiss of the heater somewhere in the attic. It's starting to smell like coffee too and the scent clouds Zayn's nostrils, waking him up just that little bit more. 

It's then that he hears the soft pads of feet against the wooden floors and he feels Niall's breath on the back of his neck, warm arms around his middle. 

He leans into it, smiles so wide that his face starts to hurt and puts his hands over Niall's arms. 

"Hi," he breathes and he feels Niall smile against his shoulder, so Zayn turns around to see it.

He looks a little sleep-crumpled and cute, blonde hair messy and pale lips dry and Zayn can see the indents from where Niall bit at them last night, can see the evidence of sleep in the corners of his blue-yellow eyes. 

"Smelled coffee," is all he hears the boy say, by way of explanation, he assumes, so Zayn nods his head a little and leans forward to press a dry, sleepy kiss to Niall's lips and their lips stick a little when they pull apart, but Zayn doesn't mind. He assumes Niall doesn't either because he smiles like the sun. 

After a while, Zayn tells Niall to go back to the couch, lie down and relax or go to sleep if he wants, and Niall easily obliges, leaving Zayn alone in the kitchen. The ding of the coffee machine lets him know it's ready and he starts to make Niall's first.

When he pours the coffee into the mug, the steam rises up and hits Zayn in the face. He breathes it in and lets it warm him, a nice contrast to the cold room, until he has to stop pouring the coffee or he'll make a mess of his freshly cleaned kitchen. 

He puts a lot of coffee mate and sugar in it, too much because he knows Niall likes it sweet, and then puts a spoonful of cinnamon into it. He mixes it all up and sets it aside while he makes his own.

He likes his a little stronger, a little less sweet than Niall's and he doesn't like cinnamon. He only puts two spoonfuls of coffee mate and one spoonful of sugar. 

The wood floors are still creaking under his feet as he walks back to the living room and the coffee mugs are burning his hands, making him feel like they're in a sauna and the rest of his body is stuck in a snowy and old cabin-like house. 

"Here you are," he says when he hands Niall is coffee, nodding at the boy's _thanks_ and sitting down right next to him. 

\-----

The rest of their day is easy. At some point, they go out and sit on the little wooden swing on the front porch, bundled up together with hot coffee and warm sweaters. They sit out there and they talk and they laugh and the reminisce. It's too cold to be outside and Niall is chatting about something that Zayn isn't really listening to because he's too busy staring at the boy's lips, the pale, chapped pink and the way they move and shape. 

They sit out there until Niall complains about being hungry. ("We've only had coffee this whole day, Zayn," he'd said, "I'm _starved_." And Zayn had only replied with, "it's snowing, Niall, every place is closed.")

So they end up in Zayn's kitchen making chicken-flavoured ramen noodles because that's all Zayn has in his pantry. He doesn't really stock up on actual food because they're always away and it always goes bad. 

The microwave's beeping is really annoying Zayn and he can't be blamed when he tells Niall to _hurry up, it shouldn't take this long to make ramen noodles._

So Niall does and they end up on the couch again after the boy is done eating, his head in Zayn's lap with his eyes closed as Zayn runs his fingers through his soft, blonde hair. He's sleepy and satisfied and it makes Zayn's heart ache because it's so familiar.

It's still cold in the room and the only part of Zayn that's really warm is under Niall's head. The blankets are on the chair in the corner and Zayn doesn't have the heart to disrupt the peaceful quiet in the room, disrupt Niall or _this_.

The intimacy in the room is heavy on Zayn's chest, warming his insides despite the goosebumps on his arms and legs. It still smells like coffee, but now it has the smell of ramen noodles mixed with it and it's weird, Zayn thinks. It's not really the smell he wants his place to have, but he's not going to do anything about it.

\-----

They're in Zayn's bedroom for the first time during the entire trip. The covers are thrown halfway off of the bed and it's so cold, but Niall's fingers on Zayn's skin are warming him up, making him hot and a little sweaty with anticipation. 

It's night time and they're both naked, the night before Christmas Eve and usually Zayn would like the fact that Niall is being slow and gentle and really taking his time with him. But he's getting _impatient_. 

"Come on, Ni, need you," he breathes, accent thick and for the first time, he looks down at where Niall is kissing his thighs and looking right back up at him. The moonlight is reflecting in his blue eyes and his lips are a darker pink from kissing Zayn so much. His face is flushed red, the way it gets when they do things like this. He's so pretty, Zayn thinks, and he almost forgets about what he's waiting for, but then Niall's reaching for the lube and pouring it onto his fingers.

Zayn's done looking.

His eyes close and his head tosses back because _fuck_ , Niall has pushed two guitar-calloused fingers inside of him, scissoring them and opening him up. He feels like his whole body is on fire, ignited by Niall's touch. 

It's so good, but it's not enough at the same time. Zayn's mouth is open and he's rocking his hips with it, murmuring, "Niall, please," over and over again like a mantra until Niall pulls his fingers out, lubing up his cock instead.

Zayn feels a sort of emptiness where Niall's fingers had been and he grunts a little, so Niall slaps his leg and laughs, all loud and boisterous and so wonderful that Zayn has to smile so wide his face hurts. 

It doesn't take long after that before Niall is positioning himself at Zayn's hole and pushing in. 

Zayn moans out, long and low, and gives himself a moment to adjust before nodding at Niall and murmuring, "god, _move_."

So Niall does and it's so good that Zayn is actually whimpering and clutching at the sheets tightly, bottom lip caught between his teeth, eyes shut. 

"Shit, Z," he hears Niall hiss, "you're so fucking tight, shit."

And then he's _really_ giving it to Zayn, pulling out to the very tip and slamming back in, jabbing at Zayn's prostate each time he does and Zayn thinks he can't take it. It's so much and it's so good and he's moaning, his body rocking higher up the bed with each thrust. 

The bed is creaking and the bed frame is hitting the wall, but Zayn can't really focus on that right now. He's too busy focusing on Niall's cock and the way he's kissing Zayn's throat, tattooing swear words into his skin with his lips until he isn't and he's looking down at Zayn, grinning. 

"God, look at you," he murmurs and he sounds so awed, wondrous that Zayn has to groan.

"Niall, fuck, I'm not -- I'm not gonna last," he moans and swallows hard to try and keep his composure though he knows it's no use because he's so far gone now. 

And then Niall is thrusting harder somehow, faster and Zayn cries out in pleasure, toes curling and he hears, "yeah, come on -- wanna see you," and then he's coming all over his stomach, untouched and shaking with the force of his orgasm. 

"Fuck, shitshitshit, _Zayn_ ," Niall moans out and then Zayn feels a warm liquid pulse out of Niall's cock and into himself. Zayn can't help but moan because it feels so good and he feels it all over, warming him up from the cold.

And when Niall pulls out, he hears a little _squish_ noise and it should be gross, but it isn't. It's NiallAndZayn and it's what they have together and that could never be gross, not to Zayn. 

So he curls up to his boyfriend's side, lying his head on his chest. He thinks maybe they should get up and shower or at least run a flannel over their bodies, but he's so tired and so content with just cuddling that he can't bring himself to say anything but, "goodnight. I love you."

\-----

"Come on, wake up. It's Christmas," he hears in his ear, smells the sweet scent of Niall's breath and feels hands gently shaking him, squeezing his sides, squeezing him out of sleep like a tube of toothpaste. 

"Mm," is all he says back and rolls over so his face is nuzzled into Niall's neck, hand resting on his chest. "Times'it?" he murmurs when he feels strong hands stroking his back, soft breaths in his hair, constant like a river flow.

"Time to get up and open presents," Niall chirps and gives Zayn's bum a pat before rolling out of bed, dancing around to some Irish music in his head that Zayn can't hear, and quietly shouting, "Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!" like a mantra. 

Zayn can't help but to smile fondly and sit up in bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The sun is too bright, making him squint at Niall when he pulls his hands away. "Christmas," he murmurs sleepily and stands up. He's a little wobbly on his feet from having just woke up, but he manages to walk over to Niall, wrap his hands around his waist and grin. 

He knows he probably smells like sleep and morning breath, but he doesn't care. So he leans in and he kisses his boyfriend, murmurs a, "Merry Christmas," against his lips before he pulls back and grabs his hand instead.

He's in his boxers only and it's a little cold for his taste, but he doesn't really want to bother with getting dressed. He really just wants coffee and to get this Christmas thing over with.

It's the first year he's ever done Christmas. He doesn't do Christmas; it's not a part of his religion, but when Niall had asked him if he wanted to spend the holiday together, well he was hardly going to turn him down. 

So he drags himself out of the bedroom, into the kitchen where he notices that Niall has already rummaged through and made both of their coffees. He made a right mess, but he got the cups right and, from the looks of it, made Zayn's coffee just how he likes, so he isn't going to complain. 

When he turns around with his cup, Niall is leaning against the counter with an excited grin. He's wearing an Ed Sheeran hoodie and his hair is lying flat against his forehead. Zayn wonders how long he's been up, but he doesn't ask. Instead, he raises his cup of coffee to his lips, relishes in the warmth as it makes its way down his throat and says, "let's open presents."

That's when Niall smiles wide and dashes into the living room, sits down in front of the Christmas tree and peeks back at Zayn as he pats the spot of carpet next to him. 

"Come on, sleepy head," he teases and Zayn rolls his eyes fondly, but makes his way over to Niall and sits down nevertheless.

This whole ordeal is a little confusing to him. In the beginning, Niall had told him they didn't have to do the present thing because Zayn wasn't used to doing the _Christmas_ thing. Zayn had shot that down and told Niall, "if we're going to do this, we're going to do it right," which had Niall laughing for a good five minutes before they started to talk about possible Christmas presents. 

It was all a little frustrating because what is Zayn really supposed to get Niall when the lad has enough money to buy it for himself? 

Something that he can't buy. 

He'd figured it out within a week and even got Harry to wrap it before they went away. It's simple, easy and he hopes that Niall likes it. 

Under the tree, there's only the two presents that he and Niall got each other, and then there's the presents from Niall to the other boys and his family. It's Zayn's house, but when they agreed to spend Christmas together, he agreed to let Niall store his presents there as well. 

"Here, this one's yours," Niall says excitedly and hands Zayn a box. It's a little heavy in his hands, heavier than he expected, but he doesn't question it. It rattles a little when he moves it, so he sets it down in front of him for the meanwhile. 

He picks up Niall's present and hands it to him with a shy, hopeful smile. "Hope you like it," he says softly, letting go when Niall takes it from his hands. He sees the confusion and excited anticipation on Niall's face and it makes him grin a little.

The packaging definitely doesn't' give much away. It kind of looks like he wrapped up a calendar, but it's not a calendar. 

"You open yours first," Niall says, urging Zayn on with a swift move of his hand as if it's going to make Zayn move any faster. He's still a little sleep-slow despite the caffeine from his coffee. 

But he manages to get it open and he smiles wide when he sees what it is. 

It's a box that's got five coffee mugs inside of it with more comic book onomatopoeia that Zayn loves. It's a really thoughtful gift. Zayn probably wouldn't ever buy it for himself, probably wouldn't even think about it. 

"I love it; thank you," he says, still in awe as he leans over and kisses his boyfriend sweetly on the lips. 

When he pulls back, he looks down to see that Niall is already starting to tear at the little bow on the present(Zayn had told Harry that he didn't need to put a bow on it, but Harry insisted that _it's not a present if it doesn't have a bow, Zayn_.)

Niall gets the present open and Zayn is watching him carefully, waiting for any tell-tale signs that he possibly hates it, but then Niall smiles so wide at Zayn that Zayn can feel the pain from how far his mouth is stretched. 

"This is really great," he whispers, looking away from Zayn and back down at the present.

It's two sketches of Zayn's that he made exclusively for Niall. 

One of them is a sketch of Niall as a cartoon wearing some silly kilt. Zayn's not even sure what came across him that made him want to draw that, but he's more of a go-with-the-flow type of guy, so he just let his hand do the talking. 

On the other is a sketch of Niall making heart eyes at a Justin Bieber poster. He only drew that one because he knew Niall would get a kick out of it. 

He hears Niall laughing, loud and contagious, so Zayn chuckles a little and lies back on the carpet, pulling Niall on top of him. They're both laughing against each other's mouths, awkwardly kissing in between giggles, but it's so them and Zayn's happy like this. 

"That's the best present I've ever gotten!" Niall declares once he's done laughing and Zayn laughs a little bit more before he pulls Niall down for another kiss, licking into his mouth and savouring the taste of his tongue. 

It's probably a little gross on Niall's end because Zayn still hasn't brushed his teeth, but Niall isn't pulling away in disgust or complaining, so Zayn just keeps kissing him and touching him everywhere he can.

It's a little ridiculous; they're on the floor in front of the Christmas tree and Zayn's got tape stuck to his arm, but he decides he doesn't mind any of that. He's so focused on Niall and how happy he is with this boy and how good he feels. 

"Merry Christmas," he murmurs into Niall's mouth.

"Merry Christmas," Niall murmurs back and then pulls away to grin at Zayn. "And for the record, I love you way more than I love Justin Bieber."


End file.
